Like Clockwork
by The-Cursed-Daughter
Summary: A new girl joins the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, and she reminds the team of a certain clockwork Nazi.....Kroenen/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, so this is my new story. It's Kroenen/OC and it isn't like mushy, straight out romance._

But it's still a really good read! I've read ahead, and it's uber cool!

_Thanks Vi. A few things: _

_1. I was really writer-blocked as I wrote this, so if it sucks, I'm sorry._

_2. This is in the same universe of our story Choice, so if you haven't read that, it's okay, but you might want to just for fun._

_3. There are slight mentions of John/HB and Abe/Liz. I may branch out on that just a little, but not really._

_**Warnings: Swearing**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot and Kaye. Max Demone belongs to agentwhite. BTW, thanks for letting us use him.**_

* * *

Hellboy and the team sat in the truck as it rumbled down the highway back to the BPRD headquarters. The demon grumbled to himself as they rode, until John—who was sitting on the demon's lap—patted him on the shoulder. "What are you so upset about? You killed it, didn't you?"

"Yeah 'Scout," the demon whined, "But it _ate_ my gun!!"

The agent rolled his eyes. "At least it wasn't your Samaritan. And besides, you got it back." Hellboy threw a withering glance at the slimy gun laying the corner and seemed to drop the subject, instead wrapping his arms tighter around John's waist and attaching his lips to his neck.

The agent squirmed. "Hellboy, don't."

The demon's lips tickled against the agent's neck, making him squirm harder. "Nah, I think I'm gonna keep goin'."

"Please don't engage in such activities while others are present!"

Hellboy glared up at Abe, but reluctantly let John go. "Christ, we're one ta talk, ain't we?" Liz and Abe blushed.

The truck rumbled to a stop, and the team climbed out into the garage, several agents waiting for them. Hellboy frowned. "Never had a welcomin' party before. Wonder what happenin'?" The agents silently led them into study, where Manning, another few agents and Max were standing. After the incident—as it was referred to—Max had joined the BPRD—Manning couldn't complain, he got another genius, one that wasn't blue.

John crossed over to Max, whispering, "What's going on?"

Max ran a hand through his black hair and shrugged. "I dunno. They just called me in from the lab—by the way, that experiment with the sludge demon didn't go so well—and Manning and some guys from Washington were here."

"_Washington?" _John was surprised. A chosen few knew about the BPRD, and to have them here...something big must be happening.

Max shrugged again. "Yeah, I have no idea." The genius paused, "But I think she might have something to do with it."

"She?"

Max pointed to the tank, and John followed his gaze, a young woman stood there reading one of the books. Her nose and mouth were covered with a black mask, and her snow-white hair was bound in a ponytail. She was wearing a black tunic-like shirt and black pants, a brown belt hanging loosely on her waist. A _uniform,_ John realized. Even as the girl read, she held a pair of steel tonfas—the shafts of which was flat and probably sharp, John noted— in her hand, ready to use them.

The agent jumped as someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to face Liz, who was eyeing the newcomer with misgiving. "Doesn't she remind you of someone?" John paused and thought a moment. The young woman did look familiar, he just couldn't place where. Hellboy seemed to agree, mumbling, "Do we know 'er?"

Manning finally seemed to acknowledge the team, and turned to address them. "Hello, team. Some of my superiors in Washington aren't quite happy about the..._quality_ of work here, so they've sent a new agent." He gestured to the young woman, who had put the book away and was idly twirling her tonfas. "This is Kaye. She's a demon-exterminator from Europe—the best—and we're very lucky to have her." As Manning turned to leave, he shot Hellboy a glare. "I expect you _all_ to treat her with respect."

"_I expect you _all_ to treat her with respect,_" Hellboy mimicked as Manning left. The demon turned to look at the newcomer, who had removed her face-mask, her mouth set in a thin line, and her pale red eyes regarding them with wary curiosity. "Yer tellin' me this scrawny chick can handle the big baddies from Hell?" Hellboy snorted, "We don't need 'er."

John placed a hand on Hellboy's arm. "Give her a chance, Red." He turned to Kaye. "It's nice to meet you." The girl nodded. "Likewise."

Hellboy wrapped an arm around John's waist, and Kaye's eyes widened. Hellboy caught her look and growled. "You have a problem with somethin', lady?"

The exterminator's eyes hardened again. "It doesn't matter to me who you sleep with, so long as it doesn't affect the assignments." Red started to say something in reply but Kaye turned on her heel and left.

Max watched her go. He turned to the others. "Well, I'd say that went well." The boy looked at the looks on the others' faces. "What? What's wrong?"

Abe glanced at him. "Nothing. It's just...she reminds us of someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know." There was just something about the girl, her demeanor and the way she was dressed, that struck a chord in the team's mind—they just couldn't put a finger on who it was.

* * *

As the red alarm blared, John and Hellboy hurried down the hallway to the garage. Liz, Abe and Max were already there, Clay briefing them. The older agent stopped when he saw them. "Kaye isn't with you?"

It took Hellboy a moment to remember who the agent was talking about. "Oh, ya mean Miss Priss? No idea." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a sharp jab caught him between the shoulder blades. The demon whirled around, faced with an indifferent Kaye. "What the hell was that for?"

Kaye smirked but said nothing, infuriating Red even further. She turned to Clay. "What is it?"

The agent shrugged. "Demon rat got loose down in the subway." Kaye arched a slim white eyebrow. "_One_ rat?"

Clay shrugged again. "That's what they told me. We need you to go down and kill it before it starts to breed, or comes aboveground." The exterminator nodded, and hooked her tonfas under her arms.

The team clambered into the truck; Hellboy, John, Abe, Liz, and Max on one side, and Kaye on the other. As the truck jostled out onto the highway, Abe placed a hand on Hellboy's shoulder. _Make conversation._

Hellboy glanced at the icthyo-sapien. _What? Why?_

_Because,_ Abe thought, _she's a part of our team. We might as well get along. _

_But we don't need her! _

Abe sighed._ That's what you said about John and look where you are now._

Hellboy groaned, and Kaye's eyes flicked to him. The demon fumbled for a topic. "So...how long ya been killin' demons?"

Kaye's eyebrows arched, as if dubious of the demon's intentions. "A long while." She paused, hesitant. "You?"

Red grinned. "Long as I can remember. And that's been a long_er_ while." The corners of Kaye's mouth flicked up, but she didn't reply. Hellboy threw Abe a glance and thought, _Ya see? She don't like us, the prissy little—_

_Well, how easy do you think it would be to make conversation with something you kill on a daily basis? _

_Yeah, so maybe John'll have better luck—wait, I don't want that bitch comin' anywhere near John!_

As if on cue, John, unnerved by the awkward silence, cleared his throat. "Um...nice weapons, Kaye. Where did you get them?"

The girl's eyes brightened; apparently weapons were a subject she liked. "They're bladed tonfas. An old friend gave them to me."

John smiled. "Really? Cool." The agent paused, fishing for another topic. "If you don't mind my asking, is your hair color natural? It's just very...white."

"I'm albino."

Abe perked up at this. "Oh my! _Really?_ I read that contrary to popular belief, albinos aren't so...colorless due to a genetic mishap, it's actually because they're somehow connected to the magical world." The fish-man paused. "Maybe you're—"

Kaye paled and interrupted him briskly. "I assure you I am in no way magical. I'll go check whether or not we're there yet." She stood and walked to the other end of the giant Pepsi truck, and Abe and the others exchanged looks.

Several minutes later the truck jolted to the stop, dropping the team off in the abandoned subway. Hellboy grumbled as the truck rolled away. "Goddamned demons, why the hell are they always in the fuckin' subways?!" Liz shook her head in exasperation, starting down the stairs.

* * *

They were half-way down a tunnel deep in the subway system when the noise started.

Max paused. "What was that?" As if in response to his voice, the scrabbling got louder. Liz stopped and lit her arm on fire, flooding the tunnel with a pale orange glow.

"I don't understand," Abe started, "How can there be noise, when there's nothing here to make it?"

A thin scraping echoed on the wall, and the team turned to see Kaye fixing her mask over her mouth and nose and fishing something out of her belt; causing her tonfas to scratch the wall. The albino cleared her throat. "I think Agent Clay was wrong."

John looked at her, nervous. "How so?" The exterminator finished with whatever it was that was wrong with her belt, and gestured down. "There's more than one rat."

Max lit his hands with plasma energy adding to Liz's light and casting an eerie blue light on the tunnel, along with what appeared to be _millions_ of rats just waiting for them. In response to the light, the rats let out a high-pitched squeal and threw themselves at the team. Hellboy instantly pulled out his gun and began shooting, but when he shot one rat, ten replaced it. "Fuck!" the demon shouted over the squealing, "How the hell are we supposed ta kill these things?!"

In the blur of brown furry bodies, Liz spotted a flash of white hair and heard a pop. "Kaye!" the fire-starter shouted, "What are you doing?"

Kaye stopped for a moment and shouted back, "Get down and cover your faces!"

The team ducked, and a bright flash illuminated the tunnel for a moment. As the light died, Max stood up and opened his eyes, looking down in amazement as the dozens of dead rats that littered the floor. He gaped at the albino, who was on her feet brushing dead rats from her shoulders. "H-how did you _do_ that?!"

Kaye shrugged. "Flash bomb. It knocks them out for a few hours only, so you had better get a clean-up crew in here." She threw Hellboy a look. "Is this enough proof for you that I can handle the 'big baddies' from Hell?" With that the girl picked up her tonfas where she had dropped them headed back the way they had come.

* * *

Despite Hellboy's warnings to _'stay the hell away from that pale little bitch'_, John wandered down the hallways, looking for Kaye. _We might as well try to get along,_ he thought; _we are going to be working together. _

But so far, he hadn't had any luck in finding her. He'd checked the cafeteria, the library, the back gardens. The last place he had to check was the gym.

As the agent walked in, he spotted the albino in the far corner, sparring with the dummies. As John watched, it seemed like the girl wasn't making any solid connections, until he realized that she was using her tonfas, moving them so fast they were silver blurs. Suddenly the girl stopped, swirling her weapons back onto her arms, and the dozens of dummies collapsed into pieces, sand slowly spilling out of them.

John gaped. "How did you...Where did you learn to...?"

Kaye turned and pulled her face-mask down. "Don't ask questions you'd rather not know the answers to."

Before the agent could ask why he wouldn't want to know, Hellboy walked in. He spotted the agent and pulled him out of the gym, steering him towards the study. "Ya got cotton in yer ears er somethin'?" he hissed, "I told ya to stay away from that bitch!"

John glared. "Well excuse me for trying to get along!" By this time they had reached the study, where Max, Abe and Liz were waiting for them. The fire-starter crossed her arms. "No fighting, lovebirds. Max has a good idea on how we can get to know more about Kaye."

Red groaned. "Why the hell do ya want to know more about 'er? I can already tell everythin' you gotta know! She's albino, a bitch, from Europe, a bitch—"

Abe interrupted him. "You said bitch twice."

"I know. It's emphasis."

Liz sighed and shook her head, but Max grinned. "Well, Red, what if it turned out she was an _enemy_ or something? If we knew more about her, we might _save_ the BPRD." He paused. "_Manning_ might _owe_ us a _favor_."

The demon perked up at the sound of this. "If she's a demon, can I shoot her head off?"

Max shrugged. "Why not?" Smirking as he knew that the he had the demon's attention, he continued. "Kaye doesn't seem to be much of a talker, does she? Why do you guys think that is?"

"Because she's a bitch?" Hellboy offered. Max sighed. "Anything _besides_ that?" No one offered a response, Max sighed. "Because she's a _chick_!"

John arched his eyebrows. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You think she's honestly gonna be okay with talking to a bunch of guys, let alone two that aren't even human—no offense guys. So maybe we can..." he trailed off, glancing at Liz.

The fire-starter raised her hands up. "No, no way! You guys aren't sticking me in this little scheme of yours!"

"C'mon Liz, it's easy! You just go in and talk to her, get to know her a little better."

Liz looked at the teen, dubious. "That's it?"

Max held out a thin gold necklace. "Well, that and you have to wear a wire so that we can hear what you guys—err, girls—are talking about."

The woman sighed and took the necklace, fastening it around her neck. "Why I do these things for you boys, I have no idea."

* * *

Liz tentatively stuck her head into Kaye's room, knocking on the door. "Um, hi. Can I come in?"

Kaye looked up from her book and nodded, gesturing for the fire-starter to sit down on her bed. "Yes? Does Dr. Manning need something?"

Liz shook her head. "Nah, Manning's off in DC. I just want to talk."

"About?"

"About anything!" Liz smiled. "Sorry about the first impression the guys probably gave you, they're actually really nice. Hellboy's just..." Liz paused, thinking, "Well Hellboy is Hellboy, but Abe and John and Max are actually half-decent."

* * *

As the boys listened to the conversation from the study, Max gaped. "_Half_-decent?!"

* * *

Kaye smiled at the comment and leaned in closer, looking slightly flustered. "So was I correct? About Hellboy and Agent Myers?"

The other woman laughed. "You were. They're together." Liz paused. "You don't look very surprised."

Kaye shrugged. "It was a bit obvious, and like I said before, it doesn't matter to me as long as they don't compromise themselves."

The fire-starter nodded and asked, "How old are you?"

"Twenty. And you?"

"Twenty-nine." Liz sighed. "Just another year before the big Three-O. Half my life's almost over, and then I die."

"You don't know how lucky you are," Kaye muttered under her breath.

Liz cocked her head to the side. "What?" Kaye ignored her question, instead asking, "You're wearing a wire, aren't you?"

The fire-starter's shoulders slumped in defeat, and she unhooked the necklace. "Yeah. How did you know?"

The careful, professional look was back in Kaye's eyes, and she replied, "I didn't. I was hypothesizing, and you proved me right when you could have easily denied it." Suddenly the red alarm started to blare, and Kaye stood, picking up the necklace. "Focus on your work, not petty spy games."

* * *

In the study, Max slammed his fist on the desk, and Hellboy grinned. "Told ya she was a bitch."

* * *

_Please review, and no flaming or else I'll rip your throat out! _

Yeah, crazy wolf-girl Kit hasn't said that for a while, huh?

_Meh, it was getting old. Anyway, the story gets more interesting in the next chapter!_

_Kit &_ Violet


	2. Chapter 2

_Yeah, okay this one's long too. Thanks to agentwhite for reviewing, he was the only one. Anyway, after LC, I'm going to put a sequel/prequel to it, explaining Kaye's life before the BPRD, and how she met Kroenen and why they love/hate each other now. So expect that._

She's also doing a HB/OC for our friend Tabitha, and the sequel for Golden Girl for our friend's sister.

_Yes, therefore I have a full plate. Read and review, please!!_

_**Warnings: Swearing, violence and the usual**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but Kaye and the plot**_

* * *

The silence in the back of the truck was even worse than it had been the first time. Kaye stood near the back, not meeting anyone's gaze. Finally she turned, throwing the golden necklace back to Max. "I believe this is yours."

Max caught the gadget, turning a ridiculous shade of scarlet—whether he was embarrassed about being caught or about Kaye being so nonchalant about it, he himself couldn't tell—and muttered, "Thanks. You're really perceptive, aren't you?" The albino didn't answer.

Hellboy growled and stood up, jabbing a finger at the girl. "Y'know, what the hell's yer _problem_? If ya don't wanna work with us, then _get lost_! And if you do, stop bein' such a cold little bitch and smile fer once! It's called tryin' to get along!"

Kaye scoffed. "Well then Hellboy, perhaps you ought to take your own advice. You've been nothing but an arrogant, self-centered, assuming _bastard_ since I've arrived. Now then, I suggest you sit down before you hurt yourself."

Red growled again. "Nothin' doin'. I ain't takin' orders from you."

"Sit down."

"_Fuck you!"_

No sooner were the words out of his mouth, the truck hit a pothole and Hellboy was knocked off his feet, falling flat on his back and denting the truck floor. Kaye chuckled. In an instant, Hellboy was on his feet. "What do ya find so fuckin' funny?" he roared, "Ya wanna mess with me, ya little bitch?! Don't make me pound yer pale little ass!!"

Kaye flipped her tonfas forward, her expression turning dangerous. "I _dare_ you."

Before either one could move, Liz, Abe, John and Max were up. John grabbed Hellboy's arm, but it took all three other the others to hold Kaye back. "Guys," John said, "relax!" He turned to the demon, "Kaye's right, you were being a bastard."

"Oh yeah? So none a this was 'er fault?!"

"You _did_ provoke her." The agent turned to Liz, Abe and Max, looking for them to back him up, but instead Liz and Abe were studying Kaye. "Where did you learn that stance?" Abe asked.

Kaye shifted back into a regular standing position, swirling her tonfas back on her arms. "Nowhere." The exterminator turned to Hellboy and nodded slightly. "I apologize. And I probably should have warned you less..._harshly_...that there was a pothole in the road."

Max looked surprised. "But how did you know there was a pothole in the road?" Kaye shrugged. "This is the road to the Machen Library of Paranormal Artifacts, isn't it? I've been here before."

"But you're from Europe." Kaye shrugged again, and Max dropped the subject. The teen turned to say something to the others, but then noticed the looks on Abe and John's faces. "What? What's with the looks?"

Abe shook his head. "It's nothing. It's just, isn't the Machen Library the place where Rasputin first revived Samael?" John nodded.

"Well, maybe it's just a lucky coincidence." Max glanced back at the albino, who was still leaned against the wall, facing the doors. "I mean, she's a demon exterminator; she might have come to see if there were any demons trapped in the artifacts."

John didn't look convinced. "If that were true, she would have known about Samael."

The teen shrugged. "He was in a statue, wasn't he? How could she sense him through four inches of stone? Well, the angel tears that he was imprisoned in, anyway." Abe and John couldn't argue with that, so the subject was dropped; though the two still had their doubts.

Suddenly, the truck jolted to a stop, Kaye swinging out of the vehicle as soon as the doors opened. Clay stood waiting for them. "We have reason to believe that there's some sort of ghost in there. It's trying to resurrect some of its buddies, apparently."

Hellboy checked the bullets in his Samaritan and led the way inside, ducking into the exhibit hall. The agents shut the door behind the team, and all of a sudden Kaye froze. Hellboy spotted the girl and snorted. "What's up? It's just some little ghost."

Kaye shook her head. "I wish." Red was about to ask what she meant when a pair of figures caught his eye. The demon groaned. "Aw _crap_. Why do the perps always return to the scene of the crime? 'Specially when they're s'posed ta be _dead_."

Rasputin smirked. "So cruel. Didn't you miss me?"

Red smirked back. "_Lots._ Why don't cha come out here so my bullets can give ya a kiss?"

Ilsa stepped up behind Rasputin and laughed. "Do you really sink ve are zat stupid? _Ve_ aren't going to fight you."

Liz paused. "What do you mean; _we_ aren't going to fight you?" As soon as the fire-starter finished her sentence, a spray of bullets were let loose from a higher level of the museum. The team scattered, and a black blur dropped down on Kaye. The exterminator twisted and her feet connected with the person's chest, sending them flying across the room. The two jumped back up, and Hellboy gaped as he recognized the attacker.

It was Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, back from the dead, but that wasn't the shocking part. The shocking part was that the team finally realized who Kaye reminded them of—the uniform, the fighting stance; even their weapons were the same. So Red said the only thing that made any sense at the moment. "D'you two _know_ each other?"

* * *

Ilsa made an innocent face at Hellboy's question. "Oh, zen you didn't know?" She glanced at Kaye, smiling maliciously. "You didn't tell zem?"

Liz's eyes narrowed. "Didn't tell us what?"

"Kaye and Kroenen vere ze best of friends." Ilsa's grin widened. "Und here I use 'friends' as a very loose term."

Kaye's lips curled into a snarl. "If you want to keep your face intact, Ilsa, I would suggest shutting the hell up." Ilsa took a step back.

For the first time, Kroenen spoke. He looked at Rasputin and gestured at Kaye. "Should I...?" But the evil monk shook his head. "No need. We've done enough damage." The trio disappeared before Hellboy could do anything about it.

* * *

Hellboy waited until they were in the study and away from prying eyes and ears before demanding, "What the _hell_ was that?" He turned on the exterminator. "How the hell do ya know 'em?! And more importantly, how the hell _can_ ya know 'em?! Ya told Liz you were twenty, but those creeps were alive sixty-something years ago!"

Kaye sighed. "I really was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this. I'm a reincarnate."

"Oh, well that explains _everythin'_—" the demon paused. "Wait, what the hell's that?"

"A reincarnate," Abe read from one of his books, "Is a soul that is neither good nor evil—a gray area, if you will. A reincarnate soul is equally balanced with good and bad, therefore it cannot go to Heaven or Hell, but is reincarnated each time its mortal form dies."

"And I'm sick of it!" Kaye snapped, "I'm sick of living. I tried to change that—I spent one of my past lives as a nun, thinking that would get me into Heaven, and nothing happened. I'm stuck here!"

Blue paused. "But normal reincarnates don't remember their past lives."

Kaye smirked. "I believe the key word in that sentence 'normal'."

"But how does that explain how you met up with Rasputin?" John asked.

"Because I figured that if I couldn't go up," Kaye gestured, "I would go down. Hell is better than being stuck on this planet for eternity. And who better to team up with than and evil monk hell-bent on unleashing the gods of destruction and chaos onto the world?" The girl frowned. "But I got cocky. Rasputin figured out what I was, and stole my life. You're right, I should have died by now, but I can't. As long as he has my life, I can't die—you can shoot me, stab me, burn me, drown me, and I'll still live, so long as he has my life."

Hellboy grinned. "So you mean I can do this?" The demon emptied an entire clip of bullets into the exterminator's chest. John gaped. "Red, what the _hell_—"

Kaye's body flashed white and she appeared as perfectly fine, the bullet wounds completely gone. "Exactly. I always come back as good as new." Liz nodded, amazed, but then remembered her original question. "So why didn't you try to steal it back?"

The exterminator looked amazed. "You think I didn't _try_? Of course I did, and it didn't amount to anything! I was still stuck with them!"

Max cocked his head to the side. "But why aren't you still with them? Ilsa said that you and Kroenen were good friends."

The girl's expression darkened. "We were—who do you think I got my weapons from—but _things_ happened. Let's just say he and I aren't friendly anymore."

Red grinned. "Great! So you can help us kill the bastard!" Kaye looked puzzled, and the demon continued, "Ya don't like 'im, right, and neither do we! And ya knew 'im before, so you can tell us 'is weak spots!"

"He doesn't have any."

The team whirled around to see Clay standing by the door. Kaye drew her tonfas, and the agent quickly raised his hands. "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Even here, I highly doubt anyone will believe me." Hesitantly, the girl put away her weapons and turned to the others. "Agent Clay is right. Kroenen doesn't have any weaknesses."

John shook his head. "That's impossible! _All_ living things have weaknesses!"

Kaye smirked. "That's the point; Kroenen isn't alive anymore. His heart and left hand are run by clockwork mechanics, and half of his spine is a steel rod. His blood turned to dust ages ago, so he's impervious to gunshot wounds." The girl turned around to look at Clay. "That's something you ought to know firsthand. When he winds himself up, it increases his speed and strength—he'll hit you and be gone before you even saw him move."

Hellboy stood up. "No fuckin' way! I swear I killed 'im; I kabobed 'im on a buncha spikes. _And_ I dropped a giant gear on 'im!"

The albino shook her head. "But he wouldn't have died. Kroenen would have just hung there, still alive, until someone helped him out from under the gear and out of the pit."

Max's eyes glinted. "Well what about an explosive? If it blew him to smithereens, even if he was still alive, I don't know how he could be much of a problem." Kaye shrugged. "Perhaps it'll work."

The genius grinned and ducked out of the room, dragging Blue out with him. "We'll go try it out," he shouted from down the hall.

* * *

Kaye sat on the roof of the BPRD building, her knees tucked to her chest, staring at the moon and watching her breath freeze in the air. A glint of metal caught her eye, and she smiled. "Come on out, Kroenen. It must be a pain in the ass to hide up there."

A dark shaped detached itself from the eaves and dropped down, sitting next to Kaye. Kroenen chuckled. "A pain in ze ass? You talk differently zen you did before."

"Do I?"

"Ja. If I remember correctly, svearing was more zen sree percent of your dialogue back zen."

Kaye smirked. "Well, things change. And the Bureau is child-friendly."

Kroenen coughed. "Und speaking of ze Child..." He let the sentence dangle suggestively.

The exterminator didn't fall for it. "There'll be no talk of Hellboy."

"Vhy? You invite me to talk, but only on your terms?"

The albino scoffed. "Take it or leave it, Kroenen. I _could_ be trying to kill you right now."

The assassin sighed in defeat. "I supposed I vill have to take it, zen." He paused. "Vhy do you never call me Karl? You never did zen, either."

Kaye made a face. "It's an ugly name—no offense."

"It is a common German name."

The albino shrugged. "All the more reason I shouldn't call you that. It takes out the..._mystique_ of you. Kroenen fits you better." There was a silence, and Kaye took out her mask, running a hand over the fabric before putting it on. Kroenen watched her, and then asked. "Vhy don't you return?"

"Why should I? There's nothing there for me."

Kroenen winced, as though she had hit him; her words stung. When he said nothing, Kaye continued. "Just a warning, when I put this mask on, I become your enemy."

"I see zat you have it on at zis moment."

Kaye's red eyes narrowed. "So you should be leaving then." Kroenen stood up and hauled himself over the edge of the roof. The albino watched him disappear past the gates and into the border of trees that surrounded the BPRD. The albino leaned back against the stairwell building, sighing deeply. "Damn. I'm supposed to hate you, but I don't. And _you're_ the one asking _me_ why."

* * *

As the red alarm blared, the team hurried down to the garage. Clay was in the back of the van, waiting for them as the team climbed in. John saw the older agent's grim face. "What?"

Clay sighed. "It's Rasputin again." Kaye cleared her throat, but didn't say anything.

Abe looked at the girl with a worried expression. "Will you be alright, Kaye?" The exterminator glared at the icthyo-sapien, but there was no force in it. "I'm fine. But Kroenen is mine."

Hellboy grinned and clapped the girl on the back. "That's the spirit, Icy!"

Liz, John, Abe and Max looked surprised. _"Icy?"_ John asked.

Red shrugged. "Well, yeah. Liz's Sparky, Abe's Blue, yer Boy Scout, Max's…" Hellboy paused and glanced at the teen, "Well, I'm still comin' up with one fer you. But the point is, she's part a the team and she gets a nickname."

Kaye smiled at this, but said nothing.

The van ground to a stop in front of what appeared to be a giant Victorian-style building. "It's a high school," Clay explained, "Rasputin's in there. I guess he's waiting for you."

"Waiting for us to what?" Liz asked.

Hellboy cocked his gun, and grinned wickedly. "To go in and say hi."

* * *

The team walked in cautiously, their footsteps echoing down the giant hallway as they walked past rows of empty classrooms. Abe stuck his hand out, spreading his fingers wide. After a few moments, he pointed down a hallway. "That way."

As they headed down the corridor, Max suddenly stopped. "Do you hear that?"

The team stopped walking and listened. Liz nodded. "Yeah. It's…..classical music."

"Mozart, I believe," Abe added. Kaye smiled grimly, and pushed open the giant wooden double doors, stepping into the lunchroom. All of the tables had been pushed to the side, save a round one that sat in the middle of the room, illuminated by a spotlight, the only light in the giant room. An old fashioned record player sat on it, the needle running on a record. The team looked around, but couldn't spot anyone.

"Woulda killed 'em to turn on the lights," Hellboy grumbled. "Hey, Rasputin," the demon shouted, "Come on out, I ain't in the mood!"

The monk didn't come out, but Hellboy heard his voice from behind him. "I would, but I'm not the one fighting. Now silence, you'll ruin the atmosphere."

"The atmosphere for what?"

As Hellboy spoke, movement caught the corner of his eye. Kaye had walked up to the table, picking up the needle and moving it; the music stopped abruptly. The exterminator pulled her mask out of her pocket and pulled it over her nose and mouth.

Kroenen's voice wafted from the darkness. "You're vearing ze mask."

"I am."

A brief flash of silver in the darkness was the only hint as to where the assassin stood. "Von't you reconsider?"

Kaye pulled out her tonfas, swirling them forward with icy determination. "No."

"Vell zen, I suppose zat ve have no choice."

A rustle of cloth, and then Kaye jumped to the side, out of the light. Clangs of metal hitting metal sounded from all around the room, and the team looked around wildly, trying to spot the two combatants. Suddenly, a muffled cry of pain echoed off the walls, and Hellboy shouted, "Hit the lights!"

Liz fumbled for the switch and found it, flooding the lunchroom with light. Kroenen was on his knees, arms wrapped around his stomach and Kaye stood above him, her eyes wide with horror. But the girl wasn't looking at the man on the ground; she was looking at the blade of her tonfa, which was stained with crimson blood. Kaye ripped the mask off her face and stammered, "B-but you…you don't b-bleed! You can't!"

Kroenen looked up at her and murmured, "Surprise."

And then he collapsed.

* * *

Wow, how can Kroenen bleed if his veins are full of dust? Well, review and Kit'll tell us! **SO REVIEW DAMNIT!! I WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!**

_Yes, please review. Fortune Zyne, hope you like the story so far. (I know you like Kroenen and his funky tonfa-swords!)_

_Kit &_ Violet


	3. Chapter 3

Okay guys, seriously, if you like the story as much as you say, then REVIEW DAMNIT!! We have like....200 hits and ONLY 5 reviews? Come on!!

_Vi does have a (rather eccentric) point. I am really thinking of taking this down. _

I'm not being eccentric!! You worked so hard on this!!

_Oh well. Anyway, things get interesting, so read and REVIEW._

Oh, and one of our friends asked for a little one-shot off of Golden Girl, so please read that. It's called An Immortal's Life.

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Kroenen woke up and blinked in surprise, turning his head to the side so not to look at the blinding light that hung above his face. He moved to sit up, but found he couldn't; his wrists and ankles were strapped to a table. The assassin saw his weapons on a trolley to his right, just out of reach.

"My apologies, Kroenen. That's the only way the medics would agree to treat you."

Kroenen bent his head backwards, only to see Kaye sitting on a chair, her legs crossed and her arms folded over her chest. The assassin could feel the cold, unadulterated rage radiating off the girl, and swallowed nervously. Of all the people he had ever met in his life, Kaye was the only one who could make him feel like a guilty child who had broken his mother's favorite vase.

Kaye waited a few minutes before asking, "What happened to your face?"

It was only then that Kroenen realized that he wasn't wearing his mask—a quick look confirmed that it was lying next to his tonfas. He looked back at Kaye, and attempted to smile. "New age, new face. People vere beginning to recognize ze vind-up Nazi vithout a face, so Rasputin gave me a new one."

Kaye wasn't impressed. "Is it a glamour?"

Kroenen shook his head, feeling the blood rush to his face. "Nein. It is real. All of it." The exterminator didn't reply, and Kroenen said, "You realize zis conversation vould be much easier if ze both of us vere right-side-up."

Kaye stood and unbuckled the straps on the man's limbs. Kroenen stood and rubbed his wrists, reaching for his shirt. As he moved he saw that his stomach was wrapped with white gauze, pricks of red staining the material. The assassin dressed and stood, but left his mask on the table.

Kaye had walked back to her seat but didn't sit down, her hands gripping the back of the chair so hard the metal began to fold beneath her fingers. Kroenen ran a hand through his blonde hair and smirked. "I believe ze phrase is zat you don't know your own strength."

The albino's eyes narrowed, and Kroenen mentally berated himself—he was only making matters worse. "I disagree. I've had sixty-four years to get used to it."

Kroenen flinched. The offhanded way Kaye was speaking hurt him. The assassin looked around the room; it was a small medical lab, no windows, one metal door. "How much trouble are you going to be in for helping me ven zey find out? Von't Manning be angry?"

Kaye scoffed. "That idiot? He's terrified of me."

Kroenen grinned, but that quickly changed to a frown. "I vill admit, I'm very surprised zat ze Child is alright vith zis."

The girl arched an eyebrow. "Alright with what?"

The assassin mimicked her gesture. "Hellboy doesn't know zat I am here?"

"Well, you _did_ murder Trevor, so Hellboy would _certainly_ be the first person I would tell."

Kroenen swallowed thickly at the innuendo behind the use of the professor's first name. "Oh. I see."

He opened his mouth to say something more, but a loud stomping sounded from the other side of the door, and Hellboy could be heard shouting down the hallway, "Hey guys, this is the last room we gotta check! Icy's gotta be in 'ere!"

Kroenen arched an eyebrow, and pulled on his mask. _"Icy?"_

Kaye rolled her eyes and grabbed her weapons. "Shit."

* * *

Hellboy waited for the others to catch up. They had been searching for Kaye all morning. After Liz had hit the lights at the high school the night before, they went out _again_—probably Rasputin—and by the time the team had found a working switch, both Kaye and the Nazi were gone. The man in the lobby had confirmed that Kaye had come back to the HQ, but they had yet to find her. Red had mowed through all the rooms on the first three levels, there was just this last one.

Clay walked up to the demon and eyed the door. "Why would Kaye be in an old medic room, Hellboy?"

Red shrugged. "Well, she ain't anywhere else. What've we got ta lose?"

"Five minutes worth of time and energy," Max supplied dryly. Hellboy glared at the teen, but busted down the door. The first thing he saw was the Nazi, and Red instantly went on the offensive, pulling out the Samaritan in record time.

"Don't touch him, Hellboy." Kaye stepped between him and the bastard, her tonfas lying on her arms in a relaxed position, but one it would be easy to transition into attack from. Hellboy stepped back slightly.

"Look Icy," Red growled, "I know ya don't like 'im much, but he killed my father! His ass is mine!!"

Clay pointed his gun at the Nazi as well. "And in case you've forgotten, he nearly killed me!"

As a precaution, Kaye flipped her weapons forward. The girl glanced back at Kroenen. "As much as I would _love_ to let you take out your frustration, I'm afraid I can't."

"Can I at least get in one hit?" Hellboy whined. Kaye grinned, stepping aside, and Hellboy swung his left fist at Kroenen's head, sending his mask flying into the corner of the room. Hellboy gaped. "Since when does the bastard got a face?"

Kaye watched with feral satisfaction as Kroenen put a hand on his injured chin before turning to the team, which stood shell-shocked. "Kroenen was becoming easily recognized," she explained, "So Rasputin reanimated his old body—skin, bones, blood, hair, everything down to the last cell."

Abe looked mildly impressed. "Amazing."

Max cleared his throat. "Wait, Kaye, I thought you said you _hated_ Kroenen? What's he doing here?"

The albino smirked. "I couldn't give him the liberty of dying from a lucky shot. He doesn't deserve it."

Kroenen coughed. "I suppose I deserved _zat_."

The team watched the exchange, but said nothing. Abe could sense the rage and hatred and pain coming in waves off of the exterminator, but all he could feel from the supposedly heartless assassin was _remorse_. What went on between these two?

Liz stepped between Hellboy and Kroenen. "What do we do with him now?"

Red grinned and cracked the knuckles in his stone fist. "I got a few ideas." John grabbed the demon's arm before he could act any of them out, and Kroenen took the opportunity to make a suggestion, "I could be of assistance."

Clay gave him a look. "Yeah? I'd say you helped enough, buddy, considering six out the eight people in this room want you dead." The agent glanced at Max. "It'd be seven out of eight, but you don't really count—no offense."

"No, listen to me. Kaye knew Rasputin vell, but she has not seen him for over half a century. You have a valuable ally on your side—Kaye needs her life back, und I can help to retrieve it."

Max nodded. "He has a point. Past differences aside," here the teen threw a glance at Red, "We could be a pretty good team." Hellboy started to protest, and Max quickly added, "And then once this is all over, we can go back to hating each other. Good with you, Red?"

The demon shrugged, but Kaye shot the teen a deadly look. "Over my dead body." Her hands began to glow white, and the team stepped back. John looked surprised. "Since when could you do that?"

Kroenen glanced at the exterminator, whose hair began to float around her in the air. "You didn't tell zem about your power?"

Kaye smirked. "They didn't need to know. I haven't yet found anyone worth wasting the energy on. That time in '44 was a fluke." Kroenen's hand flew to his throat, were there was a gruesome scar, and winced.

Kaye continued, "The _only_ reason you want anything to do with the BPRD is to atone for your sins. I wouldn't be surprised if you turned around and killed us as soon as Rasputin was gone."

Even Hellboy couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. The things Kaye was saying were obviously really painful for Kroenen, and from the tortured look on the Nazi's face, Kaye might as well have been stabbing him. In fact, it looked like he might have preferred it.

But suddenly, the albino doubled over, tendrils of her power crackling around her body as she cried out in pain. Kroenen rushed over to her as she dropped to her knees. "Vat ze hell vas zat?"

Kaye smirked as she shakily stood, Kroenen's arm bracing her waist. "It seems Rasputin's pissed I took his little playtoy, and he's taking it out on my life."

Kroenen frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together. "Vhy in ze vorld are you so goddamned stubborn? Do you see that you need my assistance now? I know vere he keeps your life."

Before the albino could answer, the red alarm went off. She twisted out of Kroenen's grip, picking up her tonfas where she dropped them. "Fine. Just stay the hell away from me."

* * *

An agent met them in the truck, but caught one look at the expression on Kaye's face and paused mid-greeting. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," she managed through gritted teeth, and Clay mouthed _"Don't ask"_. The agent shrugged and gestured for the team to get in. Once the truck had gotten on the highway, the man cleared his throat. "It seems that there are some sort of ghouls yanking souls out of graves and eating them. They—"

The agent paused and looked up. "Does it sound like there's someone standing on the truck?" He waited a moment, and then answered his own question. "Of course not."

Kaye threw a withering glance at the roof, and on the top of the truck Kroenen shivered.

"Anyway," the agent continued, "We need you to exorcise them, and try to get the souls back into their bodies to they can go to Heaven or whatever."

Max grinned and pulled out what looked like an electric blue water gun. "Awesome. I can try this out."

Liz eyed the 'toy' with misgiving. "What is that?"

Max cradled the weapon in his hands. "It's like a paranormal vacuum. It sucks up souls, ghouls or whatever and either destroys them or imprisons them in another object. The teen shot at a small empty soda can in the corner, and a small icon of a can appeared on the gun. Max chose the setting 'DESTROY' and the icon disappeared.

Hellboy grinned. "Nice shootin', Tex." The demon paused. "Tex….Tech…hey I just got a nickname for ya! Tech!"

* * *

The truck rumbled to a stop and dropped the team off in front a giant mausoleum, the building's brick walls looming above the tombstones. As the truck drove away, Kroenen jumped off the top, heading towards them. "You know," he told Kaye, "Looks _can_ kill. I almost toppled off of ze truck ven you glared at me. And zat was srough _metal_."

Kaye expression didn't change, and she pulled out her mask, fastening it over her nose and mouth. "Damn. I should've glared harder."

Max turned and patted the Nazi on the back, making him flinch. "You're in the doghouse, man."

Kroenen sighed as he pulled on his mask. "I know. I have been for sixty-four years."

The mausoleum smelled like decay and rotting flesh, and had an eerie air about it. Even as the team walked through the maze of hallways, their footsteps seemed to be muffled, even though they were walking on stone. Finally, the corridor opened out into a giant tomb, the rain beating on the stained glass reflecting the stormy weather outside. A single stone coffin stood at the far end, and Kaye tentatively made her way towards it as the others watched. With a firm kick, she sent the lid flying into the far wall, the stone cracking. The albino peered in and paused, as though reading something.

Suddenly Kaye turned and started streaking back towards them at an inhuman speed. "Run!" she near-shrieked, her voice terrified, "Get the hell out of here!"

But it was too late. As the team moved to go back the way they had come, sparks of white magic grabbed them and lifted them up. The tendrils connected and spread, forming two spheres of power that floated above the ground; one with Kroenen and one with the BPRD team. Hellboy pounded at the prison in frustration, but to no avail.

"Now then, the gang's all here." Rasputin asked as he appeared to melt out of the darkness. He was back in his customary outfit, the same one he had worn when he had tried to force Hellboy to become the Key, but with one slight addition. Tied around his neck by a leather cord was a small, glowing, white ball that appeared to pulse with life. The evil monk grinned as he walked up to the girl, standing right in front of her. "It seems that you are at an impasse, Kaye."

The exterminator's jaw tightened, but she said nothing. Rasputin's grin widened. "Don't look so down. What if I told you that at least one group will make it out alive?" When Kaye still didn't respond, he continued. "You realize it's your power that is holding them up, don't you? Your power that could kill them," he paused for effect, "or your power that could save them. All you have to do is choose. Pick who you want to live, and those in other circle will be crushed to death."

Kaye's eyes narrowed, and she began to chuckle. Rasputin's eyes widened. "What's so funny?"

The albino smiled at the monk. "You know, you've just made the same mistake that Hellboy made when he first met me."

"Oh? And what mistake was that?"

In a motion so fast that the team could barely follow, the girl flipped her tonfa forward and thrust it into the center of the little white orb, and through Rasputin's chest. Kaye grinned. "You assumed."

Rasputin fell to the ground, and with a flash the two spheres imprisoning the team and Kroenen disappeared. Kaye clutched at her chest and choked, coughing up blood, as the little white orb began to dim. Kroenen ran up to her, and demanded, "Vat ze hell?!"

Kaye grinned. "Surprise." And then she blacked out.

* * *

Kit!! What's gonna happen!

_Well, review and you'll find out! I can hold out on posting for a REALLY long time, just watch what I did with Silence Is Golden!_

_Kit &_ Violet


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, so technically this was supposed to be the last one, but my overactive imagination has forced me to make another one. So five shall be the number of chapters, and the chapter number shall be five. (Sorry, I'm in a Monty Python-y mood)_

Well, just to let you know, after this Kit's posting the sequel to Like Clockwork and then two Hellboy/OC's, and then the sequel to Golden Girl.

_And then my friends' birthday's will be over and I can go back to John/HB!!! YAY!!!!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

Kaye woke up with a start, gasping. She blinked, and then blinked again; she was in her room at the BPRD headquarters. But how was that possible? She had stabbed the orb containing her life that had been around Rasputin's neck—that should have killed her. The exterminator stood and stepped outside into the hallway, the door sliding closed behind her. There was no one in the hallway, and the albino couldn't hear anyone farther along. She sighed and called out, "If this is Hell, then drop the act and show me the flames and demons with pitchforks. Don't torture me with this."

A voice chuckled from behind her. "I vouldn't say you've dead. I vas zere as vell, and I don't remember dying."

Kaye whirled around to find Kroenen leaning against the doorway of the study, a grin on his face and his blue eyes glinting playfully. Before the Nazi could say more, Hellboy burst out of the study and grabbed the albino, twirling her around. The demon set her down and grabbed her shoulders. "Are ya some kinda _idiot_? What the hell wazat for?"

The girl blinked in surprise, and stared at Hellboy as if he had grown a second head. "Wait, how the _hell_?! I'm supposed to be _dead_! I _killed_ myself—it broke my power's hold over you!" She glanced around. "What the hell kind of _joke_ is this?"

The others walked out, Liz rushing over to the girl and patting her all over, making sure she was alright. "Christ, Kaye! Don't scare us like that! We thought you were dead!!"

"But I _am_! I mean—I'm _supposed_ to be! How am I not?"

Max came out, holding a pair of wires in his hands. He grinned. "Like I said, there's nothing that a couple of live wires can't fix. I jumpstarted that little orb thingy, and therefore you were reborn."

"That's impossible! I've never been reborn as the same person!"

Kroenen smiled. "Well, zere is a first time for everysing." He fished something out of one of his pockets and handed it to the girl—it was the little white orb, which was pulsing contently. "I believe zis is yours."

Kaye took the orb and fastened it around her neck. The ball sparked briefly and disappeared, and Kaye smiled. "Thanks."

The assassin shifted uncomfortably. He gestured up. "Can you and I speak a moment?"

The albino paused, then seemed to decide and followed the assassin out on the roof. She sighed and leaned against the stairwell building, staring out onto the highway. Kroenen stood next to her. After a few minutes, he spoke. "So, vhere is zis going?"

Kaye swallowed thickly, but her indifferent expression didn't change. "Where is what going?"

"Ve. _Us._ What happens next?"

The exterminator sighed, and hung her head. "I don't know, Kroenen. I gave you my final words; I had never intended to see you again. I hated you—I think I still do."

Kroenen didn't look at her, but his blue eyes shown with hurt. "And yet you saved me, vhen you should have finished me off."

Kaye sighed again, "I know, I did—I told you it was a shot in the dark." Kroenen grinned at her pun, and then snapped his fingers. "Aha! You said it vas ze end of ze our friendship, you didn't say anysing about a relationship."

The girl finally turned to look at him, and she had a smile on her face. "You're right. So I suppose we have nothing to be talking about?"

* * *

John stood when Kaye and Kroenen walked back into the study—the albino's lips redder than usual—trying to drag Hellboy up with him. The agent cleared his throat and elbowed the demon in the ribs. "Red has something to tell you."

The demon shot John a glare, and whined, "Do I gotta?"

Liz sighed and stood. "What Hellboy is _supposed_ to tell you is that we know that you've—" the fire-starter paused uncomfortably, "—done a lot of bad stuff, but we realize that it was only because Rasputin forced you to. And we're willing to let bygones be bygones, and we'd like it if you decided to stay as a member of the team."

Kroenen smiled but shook his head. "As much as I vould like to I can't. Ve're leaving."

Abe sighed. "Oh well." Then the fish-man paused. "Wait, _we_?"

Kaye nodded. "I'm going with him. We're going back to Europe."

A collective "WHAT?" echoed across the room, and Max stood up. "You can't do that!" he said, "That's not fair!"

"Yeah," Hellboy added, "Just as I started likin' you, ya pale little bitch."

Kroenen hissed, and Kaye put a hand on his arm. "Relax. He means that as a compliment." The assassin arched his eyebrow, but said nothing. The albino continued, "We've done our part to help, but now we've got to go back."

Abe looked crestfallen. "When are you going to be leaving?"

"Tonight."

* * *

_2 weeks later_

* * *

The team was chasing a pack of giant demons—dangerous enough to be on the _List of Avenue_—through the maze of alleys in an abandoned part of town. Hellboy swore as he was ambushed from above by the tiny creatures. "Fuck! How the hell're we gonna kill 'em all?"

Before anyone could answer, they heard a small pop, and two little green spheres dropped onto the ground. They flashed briefly, and when the team opened their eyes, all the demons were out cold.

"Hey Hellboy," a female voice called from atop a building, "Do you still not believe me that I can handle the big baddies from Hell?"

A male voice with a thick accent sounded amused. "Ze Child didn't believe you?"

Kaye and Kroenen dropped down, being careful to avoid stepping on the demons. The exterminator arched an eyebrow at the dumbstruck team. "Well, are you going to stand there like idiots, or should we leave?"

Max was the first one to regain his composure. "Hell no! What are you doing here?"

The Nazi smiled. "Ve couldn't stay avay. It appears zat trouble alvays seems to follow you, and it vould be easier for us zen chasing ze trouble around."

John frowned good-naturedly. "Great; we're magnets." The agent turned to Kaye. "How come you're always around when we need you?"

The exterminator wrapped an arm around Kroenen's shoulders, and he wrapped his around her waist. Kaye grinned. "Just like clockwork, huh?"

* * *

REVIEW DAMNIT!!!

_Kit &_ Violet


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, this is the end. Hope you liked it._

Please read and review!!! Oh, and watch out for the sequel!!

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual**_

* * *

_Kroenen.....Kroenen, rise.....Rise and come to me......._

Kroenen sat bolt upright as he woke from sleep, the traces of a voice echoing in his mind. He glanced down at Kaye who was asleep next to him, and rubbed his eyes. What had that been?

_Kroenen......come to me......your master calls you..........._

Without his say-so, the assassin's body swung out of bed, grabbing his shirt as he headed out the back lawn. A deep chuckling echoed from the trees, and Rasputin stepped out. "Excellent work, Kroenen. I knew that Kaye would be easy to fool, especially since she trusted you before. And the Child and his friends suspect nothing either. Now all we need is for you to finish them off."

"No."

Rasputin arched an eyebrow, smiling. "Really? And why not?"

Kroenen's eyes narrowed. "I refuse. You cannot force me; I vill not harm Kaye."

The monk laughed again, and lifted his arm. In response, Kroenen's arm rose as well, against the Nazi's will. "Do you forget our deal, Kroenen? You gave me your soul; I control everything you do, everything you are. I gave you back your body, your face; you think I can't take it away? How will Kaye treat you when every glance at you reminds her of the monster you became? The one who hurt her _already_? The one she hated—she still hates?"

The assassin winced, but his eyes were still full of steely determination. "I vill _not_ hurt her, nor her friends."

Rasputin gestured with his hand, and to the Nazi's horror he picked up his tonfas and was swirling them on his arms. But just as quickly, Rasputin dropped the spell and Kroenen rushed away back into the BPRD building. "We'll see about that."

* * *

The team was gathered in the study when the laughing began. It echoed off the metal walls, ringing almost deafeningly through the hallways. Hellboy clutched at his ears. "What the fuck wazat?"

Kaye smiled grimly, and pulled out her tonfas. "Let's find out."

Hellboy busted down the door leading out to the back lawn, gun at the ready. "Alright, come on out. I'm gonna kick your ass fer nearly breakin' my ears."

The owner of the laugh stepped out and Max shook his head. "Okay, I get that you're some kind of magic man, but this is getting ridiculous."

Ilsa shot the young man a glare. "Our apologies for disappointing you. But don't vorry, it only gets better. You see, ve aren't ze only vones vith surprises up our sleeves." The woman glanced at Kroenen. Kaye whirled on the assassin, her weapons drawn.

"You _bastard_!" she hissed, her eyes narrow with rage, "You lied to me!"

Rasputin shrugged. "Old habits die hard, my dear." Kroenen took a step back, putting up his hands in defense. "Kaye, I svear I did not know."

The mad monk took a step forward, and John, Abe, Liz and Johann pulled out their guns. "Take one step, and I'm pretty positive that five clips of bullets are going to kill you," Max quipped.

Kaye nodded her thanks, and then turned back to Kroenen. "So Rasputin just thought this up? You have no idea what he's talking about?"

Kroenen backed up again. "I did, but zen I decided not to go srough vith it. Please, believe me."

Ilsa laughed, relishing the man's pain. She made a gesture, and a document winked into being, floating several feet off the ground. A red signature in the bottom-right corner glowed. "Kroenen isn't lying zere, Kaye. He really didn't vant to hurt you. But he gave Rasputin his soul—signing in blood— he has no choice." She paused in mock surprise. "But vat's zis?" She glanced up at the albino. "Your name is on here as vell; in your blood."

Kaye's eyes narrowed. "I never signed that." Ilsa smirked maliciously, and made a gesture. Against the girl's will, Kaye pulled out her weapons and slashed the air with them. "Really? Zen vhy am I able to control your every move?"

The albino's eyes widened. She turned to the team, and shouted, "Run!"

John arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

Kroenen joined her. "Get ze hell out of here! Now!" Without another word, the team turned and ran, but Rasputin and Ilsa made gestures, and the two started after the team. Kaye and Kroenen cut them off before they reached the door, brandishing their weapons and swinging them at the others. "Stop!" Liz shouted as she ducked, Kroenen's katar daggers whistling over her head.

"We can't!" Kaye answered.

Suddenly, Hellboy's tail wrapped around Kroenen's leg, and instead of twisting like he could have, the Nazi allowed the demon to pull him down—straight onto Kaye's tonfas.

In that instant, Rasputin's eyes widened. He hurriedly muttered something to Ilsa and they turned to run, but Hellboy shot them both in the head before they could take two steps. He moved towards them, but Liz and Max both placed a hand on his arms. The teen grinned. "Let us."

Meanwhile, Kroenen had dropped to the ground, unconscious, with blood pumping out of the wound in his chest. Kaye dropped to her knees next to him, her face lined with worry. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" She turned to the others. "What do we do now?"

Abe cleared his throat. "Well, there is something. Your life—that small orb—was giving off an immensely powerful aura when I first saw it around Rasputin's next. It was able to bring you back to life, perhaps it can—"

The fish-man was cut off as Kaye cupped her hands together, a small white ball forming between them. She pressed it into Kroenen's wound, muttering prayers to all the gods she knew of. Finally the albino sat back, her knuckles clenched together.

And then Kroenen's body jerked and he sat up with a start, sucking in a breath. Kaye's shoulders dropped in relief, but then she slapped the assassin. "What the hell was that?!" she demanded, "You nearly killed yourself!"

Kroenen's hand flew to his red cheek, and he grinned. "I vas ze only sing connecting you to Rasputin and Ilsa. If I died, ze ties vould be broken."

Liz arched an eyebrow—she and Max had just walked over. "But how can you die? I thought you were immortal?"

The assassin grinned. "Rasputin and I got into an argument. I suppose zat spurred him to take it avay."

"Well you don't have to worry about dying now."

Kroenen glanced an eyebrow at Abe. "Vat does zat mean?"

"Kaye gave you a part of her life. That means you've become a reincarnate, just like her. And because it's the same life force you'll always be reborn together."

Kaye grinned, and kissed Kroenen on the cheek. "I think I like that. Born together, live together, die together, reborn again."

Kroenen smiled. "Just like clockvork."

* * *

_The end. Review please!_

_Kit & _Violet


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